How to take better pictures with your smartphone

It’s probably in your pocket now or sitting on a table next to you, throbbing with latent power.

Yes, it’s your smart phone, those pocket-sized super computers we carry around like cyber security blankets.As well as offering a world of communication, information and accessibility, the smartphone houses a very handy camera.

The smartphone and digital photography have revolutionized professional and amateur photography. I once overheard a professional photographer talking about the digital revolution say, with some chagrin,“We used to spend thousands to take hundreds, now we spend hundreds to take thousands.”

While some old school professionals may gnash their teeth, for most of us the rise of the smartphone camera has made photography all the more accessible.

Whether you’re using a smartphone camera, a whizz bang digital DSLR or a Box Brownie, photography is a story-telling medium. It’s the way we curate our lives and capture memories and, whatever device we use, the same rules of photography apply.

We still need to consider light, framing and composition, camera angle, looking for pattern, line, shape, vanishing points, shadows and reflections and applying the rule of thirds to compose our photos.

Our photos should tell one story. Avoiding clutter in our pictures will focus viewers attention on our meaning. Another incentive for keeping images simple is that many digital images are viewed small these days, either on phone screens, via social media icons or as thumbnails.

While we strive to apply these universal elements to our photography, it must be acknowledged that not all cameras are made equal and that smartphones have some definite positives and some distinct limitations.

PositivesAccessibility and SpeedThey say the best photos are the ones we take. Having that shiny little phone in our pocket offers great opportunities for capturing those impromptu moments.The ability to take many photos quickly, gives you lots of options. You can review your pics and edit on the go. Shooting a series of rapid-fire shots of a moving subject can create an interesting animated sequence.

SharingYour masterpiece never has to hang around unseen as you can upload your photos directly to social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and now the ABC Open mobile site.

Light and easySmall size and simple interface allows for ease of movement and quick-draw documentation. We can play with interesting angles and intimate spaces for photography and focus on composition and creativity.

LimitationsOf course, all this easy access and lack of bells and whistles has a downside. Smartphones are relatively simple cameras with limited flexibility.

They don’t perform well in low light. Although equipped with a powerful flash, its small source means harsh shadows.

Due to their slow shutter speed, smartphones aren't suited to shooting high speed events like sports or car races.

The digital zoom is also pretty woeful. Avoid zooming in and just get closer.

The accessibility, speed and ease of the smartphone can also translate into snap happy syndrome: the tendency to try and photographically ‘hose down’ every moment without much thought. We've all seen and barely survived that slideshow.

Some handy tips

To make the most of the positives and reduce the limitations, here are some tips for getting better results with your smartphone camera.

Firstly, start by checking the built in specs in your preferences / set up. Ensure you have the camera set to take best quality images at the highest pixel rate.

Some phone cameras also offer a High Dynamic Range (HDR) option which takes several exposures in the one photo, giving your picture greater tonal range and allowing more options in post production. This can offer great results but also takes up more space on your phone.

If you’re using the native camera application, touch the screen where you want the camera to focus. You can also adjust your exposure this way. Pressing on the brightest part of your screen will make the rest of the photo darker and vice versa. This is especially useful when you're shooting into or around the sun or in low light.

Hold still when you take the picture. Leaning on something solid or keeping your elbows tucked into your sides will provide stability and avoid motion blur.

To avoid blurring your pictures with a heavy-handed finger, set the self timer to take the photos while you concentrate on holding the camera as still as possible. The shutter clicks when you lift your finger off the shutter button, so do it gently. Another option here is to use a tripod.

I recently discovered that on some smartphones, when the headphones are plugged in, the pause/play button acts as a shutter release button when the camera mode is selected. I took several stunning photos of my leg trying to turn down my music.

As mentioned, smartphone cameras don’t deal with low light well. They add a stack of pixellated grain to your shots. Run a mile (or at least into a brighter spot) before photographing in the dark.Another solution in low light is to use the built-in flash. A good tip is to add a piece of translucent sticky tape over the camera light to help diffuse it.

If you want to avoid that ‘deer caught in the headlights’ look, or are photographing objects like food, try using the light from an external source like a lamp. Even the torch light option from another smart phone can add a more subtle glow of illumination to your pictures.

On bright sunny days, avoid deep shadows on faces by moving your subject into the brightest shady area you can find.If you can’t move your subject, move yourself, so that you’re not shooting into the sun. The small sensor in the smart phone cameras will best handle bright overcast, open shadow, or even a bit of fog.

Be courteous and legal about who and where you photograph. The instant access to the smartphone camera can see us taking photos in all sorts of public places.

It’s important to respect people’s privacy by asking their permission to use their photo, particular with photos of children and if you are sharing these shots on social media. ABC Open have a special tips sheet regarding this.

Download your shots regularly to your computer and take advantage of that icon ‘Delete photos on the camera after download’ so you always have room on your camera to take more.

If you prefer to use your phone as a portable photo gallery, you’ll have to delete the unwanted photos manually.

Apps and Add ons.There is a thriving industry in add-ons and accessories that will enhance your smart phone photography experience.

There are also many cool apps and post processing tools that allow you to transform your happy snaps into instant nostalgia through the use of filters and film stock types.

One nifty control on some smart phone cameras is the Lens Blur effect, allowing you to create a depth of field effect within your existing photos.

Other accessories include attachable mini lenses, tripods, water proof housings and a variety of holders that allow you to attach your phone camera to anything from bike handles to broom sticks to achieve some fantastic angles and out of this world framing.

The Smartphone camera offers us the opportunity to capture intimate moments quickly and easily. The power to do this is literally in our pockets.Getting the best out of Smartphone cameras is about understanding their potential, limitations and the possibilities available in the world of apps and add ons.Beyond all this, the key is in recognising the beauty in the moment and taking the time to capture it with a click of a finger.

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Comments

Marvin Jaffee

Thanks for the tips. If you have an Android smartphone, checkout this app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.neuromorphic.retinet.smile which lets you annotate your pictures as you take them, annotate already taken pictures (JPEG), text search your pictures, and share pictures with annotation as photos or videos.

LizzyA

Another tip to improve your pictures taken at night is to take off your case as it seems to make a weird reflection on your piccys.

Chrissi

I have been using an SLR camera for a couple of years now and do love the results however the phone camera is more convenient and discreet.
I recently photographed the Australian Body Art Carnivale (at Eummundi) using SLR, point and shoot as well as a phone camera.
All gave different results but it's much easier for me to use apps to manipulate camera photos than to use photoshop.

Steve

Sorry LizD but I have to disagree. Take a look here http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/417118/
then tell me you can take photo's like this with your iPhone, I can tell you from experience it is technically impossible to do many things on an iPhone that a DSLR can do. While iPhone's are handy & yes you can do amazing things using apps/software but try a very simple shot zooming in on eagle sitting in tree tops, even using the Sony detachable lens QX100 for your smart phone you will still need to crop the image to make out what it is.

LizD

The iPhone is absolutely my best camera option! Whatever you can do with a whiz-bang big boomer can be replicated using apps. And it's cheaper!

Emma Pedler

These are great tips Jeff - thanks! I recently discovered that on my smart phone that I can activate multi-shot mode (taking many photos in quick succession) by holding my finger down on the shutter button - either on the volume button on my phone or on the shutter button on the screen. This is especially fun when snapping action shots.